Side reflectors for bicycles and the like

ABSTRACT

Side reflector assemblies for bicycles having reflective surfaces on both sides of the reflector assembly and mounted on the bicycle to reflect light from both sides of the bicycle without interference from the rider. The internal faceted reflective faces of the reflectors are sealed by the mounting means therefor, and the reflectors are clamped to a bar of the bicycle adjacent the front of the bicycle and to the angular bar forming a mounting for the seat post along the upper portion thereof. This so positions the reflector that the two reflectors can be viewed from both sides of the bicycle with a minimum amount of interference from the legs and garments of the rider.

United States Patent [191 I Dian et al.

[ Oct. 30, 1973 SIDE REFLECTORS FOR BICYCLES AND THE LIKE ExcelIncorporated, Franklin Park, 111.

Filed: Aug. 10, 1972 Appl. No.: 279,480

[73] Assignee:

U.S. Cl. 116/28 R, 40/129 C, 350/97 Int. Cl. B60q Field of Search116/28, 35, 114;

Primary Examiner-Louis J. Capozi Attorney-Benjamin H. Sherman et al.

[57] ABSTRACT Side reflector assemblies for bicycles having reflectivesurfaces on both sides of the reflector assembly and mounted on thebicycle to reflect light from both sides of the bicycle withoutinterference from the rider. The internal faceted reflective faces ofthe reflectors are sealed by the mounting means therefor, and thereflectors are clamped to a bar of the bicycle adjacent the front of thebicycle and to the angular bar forming a mounting for the seat postalong the upper portion thereof. This so positions the reflector thatthe two reflectors can be viewed from both sides of the bicycle with aminimum amount of interference from the legs and garments of the rider.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures SIDE REFLECTORS FOR BICYCLES AND THE LIKEFIELD OF THE INVENTION Bicycle reflector of the type found in Class 350.

BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION Safety reflectors forbicycles are required under many state laws, and such states asCalifornia not only require that the reflector be positioned to reflectrays of light from the rear of the bicycle, but also from the pedals andsides of the bicycle. This has been complied with by placing reflectorson the pedals, but is not entirely satisfactory since there isinsufficient reflective surface at the sides of the pedals and the shoesor even baggy garments not properly clipped to the legs often obscurethe pedal reflectors.

In carrying out the principles of the present invention, we provide thenew form of side safety reflector means for bicycles that will clearlyreflect rays of light from either side of the bicycle, unobscured by thelegs and clothing of the rider.

An advantage of the present invention is the improvement in the safetyof bicycles by the provision of reflectors on the bicycle havingreflective surfaces on opposite sides of the reflector and by mountingthe reflectors to readily reflect rays of light from either side of thebicycle without interference from the rider.

Another advantage in the invention is the provision of a bicyclereflector having reflective surfaces on each side of the reflector andadapted to be clamped to the bicycle to be viewed without interruptionfrom either side of the bicycle.

A further advantage in the invention is in the provision of a simple andimproved form of reflector arrangement and mounting therefor ruggedlymounting the reflector to the bicycle to be readily viewed withoutinterference.

Still another advantage of the invention is attained by mounting twoacrylic prismatic reflectors in a common mounting member, with theirinternal faceted reflective faces facing each other, and sealing thereflectors to the mounting member, which also permanently retainsthereflectors thereto.

A still furtheradvantage of the invention is in the provision of asafety reflection system for bicycles utilizing double sided acrylicreflectors and clamping the reflectors on the top bar of the bicycleadjacent the steering post and on the rear angular bar of the bicycleforming a mounting for the bicycle seat for reflecting light rays fromeither side of the bicycle.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, althoughvariations and modifications may be effected without departing from thespirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a menstype of bicycle, illustrating a safety reflector arrangement inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a Safety reflector constructed in accordancewith the principles of the present invention with certain parts of areflector broken away and showing the reflector clamped to depend fromthe top bar of a mens bicycle, to readily reflect light from either sideof the bicycle; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the reflector andclamp and bicycle bar substantially along line III-III of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In the embodimentof the invention illustrated in the drawings, we have diagrammaticallyshown in FIG. 1 a well-known form of mens bicycle including a frame 10having a horizontal top bar 11 extending from a rearwardly inclined rearbar 12, forming a socket for the seat post, to a column or post 13 forhandlebars 15, as is conventional in bicycle construction. We have alsoshown reflectors 16 and 17, respectively, clamped to the top bar 11adjacent the steering post and to the angularly extending rear bar 12adjacent the seat of the bicycle. The locations of the reflectors, ofcourse, are varied for womens bicycles, but may be towards the front andrear of the bicycle where they will be clearly visible from the sides ofthe bicycle and effectively send out warning rays of light by reflectionof the headlights of an automotive vehicle, or from other sources oflight. The bar of a womens bicycle to which the reflector 16 may beclamped is diagrammatically illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 1 andindicated by reference numeral 18.

The reflectors 16 and 17 are each of the same construction and areclamped to the bar of the bicycle'in a similar manner except in thepresent instance, the front reflector 16 may be amber and the rearreflector 17 may be red in order to attract the attention to the bicycleand enhance the safety features of the reflectors, although bothreflectors may be of the same color or of other accepted colors and theorder of colors may be reversed if desired. One reflector only and itsmounting on the bicycle, therefore, need herein be shown and describedin detail.

The reflector 16 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is in the form of twooppositely facing reflex reflectors 19 of a similar form, made from anacrylic plastic material and having internal facets 21 extendinginwardly therefrom and converging into peaks at their inner ends, toprovide a multiplicity of faceted prismatic reflective surfaces, in amanner common to acrylic reflectors, and no part of the presentinvention so not shown or described in detail herein.

Each reflector 19 has a marginal rim 22 extending thereabout anddefining the margin of the facets and a means for mounting the reflectorto a mount 23. The rims 22 of the reflectors 19 each terminate in acommon plane to facilitate ready sealing of the internal facetedreflective faces of the reflector.

The mount 23 may be made from a plastic material known to the trade asA.B.S. which is an acrylonitrilebutadine-styrene copolymer frequentlysold under the trade name Cycolac. Said mount 23 is shown as being of aring-like form having a center flat ring 24 and annular flanges 25extending from opposite sides of said ring, the inner margins of whichfit about the rims 22 of the reflectors 19. A mounting tab 27 extendsupwardly from the juncture of the flanges 25 and is drilled or otherwiseapertured to accommodate a bolt 29 to pass therethrough. The bolt 29 maybe a clamping nut and bolt and is shown as extending through aperturedportions of depending cars 30 of a clamp 31 to clamp the reflector todepend from the bar 11.

Since the reflector is made from an acrylic plastic and the mounting ismade from a plastic known to the trade as A.'B.S., the reflectors 19 maybe effectively carried by the mount and sealed to the flanges 25 by aconventional form of sonic scaling in a manner similar to that shown anddescribed in an application Ser. No. 140,148, filed May 4, 1971 byGerald Golden, Charles Wrobel, Jr. and Walter Dian, so not herein shownor described further.

The opposed facing facets 21 of the reflectors 19 being permanentlysealed by sonic sealing permanently mounting the reflectors in the mount23, are thus hermetically sealed by the mounting means to prevent theaccumulation of dust on the internal faceted reflector faces for thelife of the reflector, by the simple operation of sonically sealing thereflector to the mounting, which not only forms a permanent mounting forthe oppositely faceted reflector faces, but also enhances thereflectivity thereof.

The clamp 31 may be of metal in the form of a strip of metal formed intoa split generally cylindrical form with the tabs 30 depending fromadjacent ends of the split portion thereof and affording a means foreffectively clamping the respective reflectors l6 and 17 to the bars 11and 12 of the bicycle, as shown in FIG. 1.

While we have shown a particular location for the reflectors on the bars11 and 12, it should be understood that this location may be changed,but in the present location, the reflectors are not interferred with byfront and rear reflectors on the bicycle,'and there is less likelihoodof the bicycle rider obscuring the reflectors by the legs or clothes,except perhaps one reflector may be momentarily obscurbed while mountingor demounting from the bicycle.

The reflectors are thus supported in most efficient positions forreflecting rays of light projected thereon by automotive vehicleheadlights or other light sources coming from either side of thebicycle, are out of the way of the rider both while riding and mountingor dimounting from the bicycle and provide a simplified form of safetyreflective means for bicycles more than satisfying present-day safetyrequirements.

We claim: 1. A bicycle reflector assembly having oppositely facingaligned reflective surfaces comprising:

two aligned oppositely facing reflex acrylic reflectors of the same sizeand having internal faceted prismatic reflective faces and marginal rimsextending thereabout and terminating in a common plane,

mounting means mounting said reflectors with their prismatic reflectivefaces facing each other and sealing the prismatic faces of saidreflectors, comprising: a plastic ring of anacrylonitrile-butadinestyrene copolymer having an axial flange engagingthe edges of said marginal rims and having aligned annular flangesextending from opposite sides of said axial flange having internaldiameters corresponding to the external diameters of said marginal rims,and adapted to snugly receive said rims and form a mounting therefor,and

sonic sealing means sealing said rims to said axial and annular flangesand securing said reflectors to said mounting means and preventing theingress of dust and moisture to said faceted prismatic reflective faces.

2. The reflector assembly of claim 1, including an integral tabextending radially of said flanges and formed integrally therewith, saidtab having an apertured portion accommodating said reflector to beclamped to the bar of a bicycle and the like.

3. The reflector of claim 2, wherein a clamp is secured to saidconnecting tab and is adapted to be clamped to the bar of a bicycle invisible relation from opposite sides of the bicycle and free from theperson riding the bicycle.

4. The bicycle reflector means of claim 3, including a plurality ofreflectors, mounting means and clamps adapted to clamp said reflectorsto the front part of the bicycle frame adjacent the handlebars, and tothe rear part of the bicycle frame beneath the seat to projectrearwardly therefrom and clearly visible from both sides of the bicycle,wherein one of said side reflectors is amber and the other of said sidereflectors is red to enhance the warning effect of said reflectors.

1. A bicycle reflector assembly having oppositely facing alignedreflective surfaces comprising: two aligned oppositely facing reflexacrylic reflectors of the same size and having internal facetedprismatic reflective faces and marginal rims extending thereabout andterminating in a common plane, mounting means mounting said reflectorswith their prismatic reflective faces facing each other and sealing theprismatic faces of said reflectors, comprising: a plastic ring of anacrylonitrile-butadine-styrene copolymer having an axial flange engagingthe edges of said marginal rims and having aligned annular flangesextending from opposite sides of said axial flange having internaldiameters corresponding to the external diameters of said marginal rims,and adapted to snugly receive said rims and form a mounting therefor,and sonic sealing means sealing said rims to said axial and annularflanges and securing said reflectors to said mounting means andpreventing the ingress of dust and moisture to said faceted prismaticreflective faces.
 2. The reflector assembly of claim 1, including anintegral tab extending radially of said flanges and formed integrallytherewith, said tab having an apertured portion accommodating saidreflector to be clamped to the bar of a bicycle and the like.
 3. Thereflector of claim 2, wherein a clamp is secured to said connecting taband is adapted to be clamped to the bar of a bicycle in visible relationfrom opposite sides of the bicycle and free from the person riding thebicycle.
 4. The bicycle reflector means of claim 3, including aplurality of reflectors, mounting means and clamps adapted to clamp saidreflectors to the front part of the bicycle frame adjacent thehandlebars, and to the rear part of the bicycle frame beneath the seatto project rearwardly therefrom and clearly visible from both sides ofthe bicycle, wherein one of said side reflectors is amber and the otherof said side reflectors is red to enhance the warning effect of saidreflectors.